PuffDragon: Blog

I sit here five months after Pantheon 2: Ares & Athena's publication date in a quandary. Do I keep going in the Pantheon universe or drill it down to my military thriller roots?
Well, my publisher is probably smarter than me so we're focusing down on the military thrillers. I'm happy to say I'm dragging Last American Bomber back out, rewriting the whole damn thing, and putting it on the market.
Until then, you can find the two other books here:

https://authorkrpaul.com/books/

Cheers pervs,
PD

Hey all, today is a break from the usual smut as we honor military service members who paid the ultimate price. Memorial Day symbolizes our dedication and willingness to honor those who were killed in service to their nation, fighting for a higher ideal.
Today, though, we see that death is not always the final cost to be paid. For many veterans, the battles fought on foreign soil are not the end, they're the beginning. Some of us find that what happens follows us home, and we haven't just paid with our life, but our very soul, as we battle the demons who lurk within our own minds.
More than ten years ago, I gave a speech in Parshall, ND to honor those who lost their lives serving our nation, including my own friends. I posted it here (https://storiesonline.net/s/60547/memorial-day-human-and-heroic) and surprisingly, it was well received. A decade ago, it made it to the "All Time Short Classics" list and I was honored by the positive response. It gave me hope that I was a good writer and could/should continue. I'm glad I did. Because now, I face my own demons; the little gremlins of pain that find you somewhere far from home and follow you back. Fortunately, my writing (and some therapy) give me an outlet and I've been able to beat the little bastards into submission while writing my third novel.
Today, I ask you to raise a toast. To honor those who fought and died, to honor the 22 per day who fought and ultimately succumbed to the demons, and for those of us still fighting to keep our souls and sanity.
To the fallen, human and heroic.

Hey all,
Quick update since my last post. In November I flung myself Evil Kineval style off this site, into the great unknown, hoping to make the jump from here to the world of real publishing. I'm happy to say, I've landed on the other side and didn't drop into the abyss of obscurity. I have officially been signed as an author and we hope to have Pantheon available for sale in the fall! I'll drop a link to the publisher once all the details are finalized.
In other news, the writing for Pantheon 2 is complete and I'm 90% done editing so I hope for it to be my second book to be published. Last American Bomber has been sent to the publisher for consideration but with a hearty acknowledgment that it's the first novel-length story I've ever written and it will need a lot of work.
Thanks from the bottom of my heart to everyone who reached out with words of support. I'll post the link to the publisher just as soon as we've got the nuts and bolts in place.
To many more stories of fast jets and blue skies,
PuffD

It's bittersweet to post this but I should address why Pantheon, P2, and Last American Bomber have come down..
For almost a decade, I've always been working to be a "real author." A published author. And SOL has been a great testing ground for stories. I could tell what worked, what didn't (come on, no one read the Durden short).
The good news is that academically, I found success. Under my real name, I've published white papers, a monograph, and several blog/journal articles, but I could never get my fiction off the ground.
I have a stack of rejection letters from literary agents and publishers... no publisher wants a new author who can't commit to writing a book every 18-24 months. It "doesn't hold readers interest" or some bullshit excuse like that.
But my bittersweet news is that I've finally found a publisher who's willing to take a chance on me. The "excellent, but not commercially viable" author. So, to have a shot at giving them what will make me a commercial success, I've pulled my big three. Pantheon has been edited (and made PG-13!) and is under review right now. P2 is waiting Pantheons approval and would possibly be published next. I'm holding LAB in reserve in case it works out.
Thank you all for sticking with me for the 10(!!!) years I've been writing here. Thank you to everyone who loved "Memorial Day: Human and Heroic," it's what proved to me I could write in a way that hits people in the heart.
I'll try to keep posting short stories, try out new material, especially my deep, dark, dirty stories!
All my love and thanks,
PuffD
*bow*
*exit, stage left, triumphant*

Cheers all,
It's now been 10 years since I wrote "Memorial Day: Human and Heroic" and posted it to the site. It's as poignant to me now as it was then.
I hope you all find time to reflect on Memorial Day today; what it means to you, what it means to those of us to have lost brothers and sisters in arms, and what it takes to keep a nation free.
Cheers,
PuffD